1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of thermal devices, and more particularly to a novel, highly efficient, thermal handling device capable of conducting thermal energy from a heat source, such as a refrigeration unit, to a dissipating means or to a means that can utilize the heat byproduct generated by the source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to cool a heat source, such as in a refrigeration unit, by employing a liquid conversion system utilizing the evaporation of a heat absorbing liquid or refrigerant. The refrigerant may take the form of Freon, ammonia or other gas presently used in conventional refrigeration. In such a system, a compressor is employed to initially compress refrigerant gas, thereby raising the liquid's pressure and temperature. The high cost of pumping refrigerant through the compressor and the use of a compressor, per se, is a requirement that needs to be eliminated. Conventional refrigeration systems employ heat exchanging copper coils placed externally of the refrigerator allowing the refrigerant to dissipate the heat. Also, the conventional use of copper tubing presents a weight problem. As the refrigerant cools, it condenses into liquid form and moves from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone, thereby expanding and evaporating. In evaporating, the refrigerant absorbs heat, thereby cooling the heat source. This process recycles and each cycle removes a small amount of heat from the heat source.
Additional problems and difficulties have been encountered when using conventional thermal conversion and dissipating means which stem largely from the fact that the dissipated heat is lost and is not employed for any other purposes. Also, other problems have been encountered, such as the cost of running refrigerant through the compressor, the weight of the copper used, and the high amount of electrical current needed to run the conventional refrigeration system. Additionally, the temperature of conventional refrigeration systems is not finitely controlled.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel solid state thermal apparatus which includes a thermal management system that is made up of a heat conductor or carrier composed of a graphite composition capable of rapidly conducting thermal energy and which can transfer heat from a heat source to an area where the transferred heat is either dissipated, stored, or used for alternate useful purposes. The solid state apparatus includes components made up of the graphite composition or substance, and further employs a multiple diode array for creating an interface between the heat source and an exchanger or conversion unit which forcibly conducts the heat away from the heat source.